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Li Wang, Na Zhao, Li Zhou, Juan Tong, Lei Xue, Lei Zhang, Yongsheng Han, Xingbing Wang, Liangquan Geng, Baolin Tang, Huilan Liu, Weibo Zhu, Xiaoyan Cai, Xin Liu, Xiaoyu Zhu, Zimin Sun, Changcheng Zheng Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Changcheng ZhengDepartment of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Lujiang Road No. 17, Hefei, 230001, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-551-62284476Email zhengchch1123@ustc.edu.cnBackground: There is great uncertainty in the treatment of elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which leads to great challenges in treatment decision. The aim of this study is to find more suitable induction therapy and consolidation therapy for elderly AML patients.Methods: A total of 149 consecutive newly diagnosed elderly AML patients (aged ≥ 60 years) who received induction chemotherapy in our medical center from January 2015 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.Results: After the first induction treatment, the complete remission/or complete remission with incomplete hematologic recovery (CR/CRi) rates in the standard-intensity chemotherapy group was significantly higher than that in the low-intensity chemotherapy group (58.2% vs 32.9%, p = 0.003). Compared with the low-intensity chemotherapy, the incidence of severe infection in the standard-intensity chemotherapy was significantly increased (p < 0.001), but the early mortality was comparable. One hundred and seven patients received minimal residual disease (MRD) examination after the first induction treatment; and MRD was negative accounting for 51.9% in the standard-intensity chemotherapy group, while only 32.7% in the low-intensity group (p = 0.05). The 2-year-overall survival (OS) of patients in standard-intensity induction chemotherapy group (37.2%) was slightly higher than that in low-intensity induction chemotherapy group (23.4%) (p = 0.075). Eighty-one CR/CRi patients received intermediate or high dose cytarabine (n = 35) or sequential chemotherapy regimens (n = 46) as consolidation treatment. The 2-year OS and event-free survival (EFS) of patients in the intermediate or high-dose cytarabine group were significantly higher than those in the sequential chemotherapy regimens group (73.0% vs 38.5%, p = 0.002; 54.8% vs 35.0%, p = 0.035).Conclusion: Our results showed that standard-intensity induction chemotherapy can significantly improve the CR rate for elderly AML patients, and does not increase the early mortality; consolidation therapy with intermediate or high-dose cytarabine can significantly improve EFS and OS for elderly AML patients achieved CR.Keywords: acute myeloid leukemia, elderly patients, minimal residual disease, standard-intensity chemotherapy, intermediate or high dose cytarabine

Elderly patients with hemophilia A have an increased risk of age-related thrombotic diseases, such as myocardial infarction. The relevant risk factors are comparable to those in the normal elderly population. However, their diagnosis and treatment are difficult. We report a case of a 53-year-old man with severe hemophilia A who presented with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and this is the first report of successful treatment of such a patient in China. The patient presented with chest tightness, palpitations, and dyspnea after excessive alcohol consumption. He developed hypotension and shock, which rapidly progressed to respiratory and cardiac arrest and loss of consciousness. Immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation was initiated, along with respiratory and cardiovascular management. Hematologic management with factor VIII (FVIII) replacement therapy and concurrent aspirin coupled with enoxaparin sodium, were also employed. As the patient’s condition was diagnosed as acute NSTEMI, a percutaneous coronary intervention was not performed. The patient showed significant improvement after 1 month; he was able to walk independently and was discharged. Based on the medication order, the patient was continuously treated with FVIII prophylaxis, clopidogrel tablets, and atorvastatin tablets after discharge to prevent the recurrence of cardiovascular events. The acute coronary syndrome incidence rate is similar in patients with hemophilia and the general population. Multidisciplinary collaborative management is required. The multidisciplinary team needs to develop its diagnosis and treatment process flow, and treatment should be individualized using or anticoagulation/antiplatelet therapy based on the patient’s medical history.